Cartridge-feeding device for machine-guns or the like.



. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908. F. RUSZITSZKA. A CARTRIDGE FEEDING DEVICE FOR MACHINE GUNS OR THE LIKE.

-APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 3, 1907.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 891,374. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

P. RUSZITSZKA. VICE FOR MACHINE GUNS OR THE LIKE. IIIIIIIIIIII 0T. 1907.

CARTRIDGE FEEDING DE APPLI Witnesses.

PATENTBD JUNE 23, 1908.

v F. RUSZITSZKA. CARTRIDGE FEEDING DEVICE FOR MACHINE GUNS OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 3. 1907.

. 6 SHEETS-831E111 3.

Witnesss.

- PATENTED JUNE 2.3, 1908- P. RUSZITSZKA. CARTRIDGE FEEDING DEVICE FOR MACHINE GUNS OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 3. 1907.

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Invkant'ar.

Witnesses No. 891,374. PATENTED. JUNE 23,1903;

F. RUSZITSZKA.

CARTRIDGE FBEDI NG DEVICE FOR MAGHINE GUNS OR THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION run our. 3. 1901.

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No. 891,374. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

F. RUSZITSZKA. I

CARTRIDGE FEEDING DEVICE FOR MACHINE GUNS OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATIdN FILED OUT. 3, 1907.

6 SHEETS-SHEET a.

ZZQZX Mal Witnesss.

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' fired Weapons,

- carrying device opposite to the charging slot FRIEDRICH RUSZITSZKA, OF WELS, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ASSIGNOR TO' THE FIRM OF ANTON KELLER, METALLWERKE UND OF ENZESFELD, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

MUNI'IIONSFABRIK, ENZESFELD, N. 0ST,

CARTRIDGE-FEEDING DEVICE FORIM ACHINE-GUIVS OR THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 3, 1907. Serial No. 395,786.

Patented June 23, 1908.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it kncwn that I, Fninnmon RUS- ZITSZKA, subject of the Emperor of Austriacarrying devices of machine guns or the like,

frames, similar to the magazines in handor cartridge bands or belts made of hemp or like material have hitherto been commonly used.

The frames'are disadvantageous in that the can only hold comparatively few cartri ges and do not permit of an automatic feed of the ammunition from its container to the carrying device; thus they have to be fed by hand, which delays the firing and wastes time.

When cartridge belts or bands are used, it is possible after placing the belt in the breech of the wea on to feed the cartridges automatically; llowever, even in this case the number of shots which can be fired without interruption is limited, since a fresh belt must be substituted for the spent one each time by hand.- Moreover, such belts frequently go wrong in working, for instance when it rains, since they become saturated with water and then lose their pliability if exposed to frost. Also it is necessary when changing the belts to pull through that art of the belt which protrudes on the side of th and of which the cartridges have already been fired, so that thesubstitution of a new belt takes up time.

The resentinventio'n relates to a cartridge eeding a paratus', which avoids the above mentione disadvantages and in using which, break-downs due to weather cannot occur, while the automatic-firing can continue uninterru tedly for a long time andthe unloading can e done quickly and without removing parts of the carrying device.

According to the invention, separate chain links, preferably made of metal and carrying one or more cartridges, are arranged one bepushed out of separately from the chain, two adjacent links being connected either by the cartridges themselves or by independent devices on the links themselves and in the first case the connection is released by the removal of the cartridge which is performed by the weapon itself and in the second case it is released automatically by some special means fixed to the breech. V

In the accompanying drawings several forms of the cartridge feeding apparatus are shown, in which the cartridges themselves form the connection between the chain links.

Figures 1 and 2 show plan and front elevation respectively of a chain for a machine gun of any pattern, the feeding device of which pulls the cartridges out of the chain backwards. Figs. 3 and 4 show in lan and front elevation respectively a sing e chain link. Figs. 5 forms of chains of this sort. 'Figs. 7 and s, 9 and 10, 11 and 12, 13, 14 and 15, 1c and 17, 18 and 19, 20 and 21,22 and 23 show in plan and front elevation, partly in section, various forms of chain links of such feeding devices for flanged cartridges, in

which the ejection of the latter fromthe chain is forwards. Figs. 24, 25, 26, & 27 show in a plan and in front elevation a chain and a separate link of the chain for that kind of machine guns in which the cartridges are their annular holders in a for ward direction by the engagement of the bottom of the cartridge case with the forward moving breech block. Figs. 28, 29, 30 & 31 show in like views a chain. and single link thereof for a machine gun or the like in which .the forwarding device engages the chain during the feeding of the latter at the part of the chain which has already run out and has .been emptied of its cartridges;

In the form shown in Figs. 14 each chain link 11 consists of a middle iece which has on one of its longitudinal si es two co-axial rings 1) separated by a' space and on the other longitudinal side a third ring a opposite this space, the width of which is the same as the Width of this space. These rings serve to receive the cartridges and are formed to correspond with the cases thereof. In order to secure a safe hold of the cartridges on'the chain without influencing its flexibility t'..e rin s b are exactly turned to fit the cartridges an .are then split along their length to give them spring, while on the other hand the ring c between the rings b is made of slightly lar er diameter than that of the cartridges.

0 form a chain two links a are laced togzther so that the ring 0 of one link comes tween the rings 1) of the other link and all three rings are co-axial, the cartridge is then passed throu h the three rings and in this way the two %'nks.are flexibly connected together as if with a hinge pin. For loading the cartridge chain thus formed is placed in the same way as a belt, with one end in the charging slot of the weapon. On firing, after extraction of each cartridge from the chain, a link of the latter falls ofi and is thrown out by the kick of the cartridge produced by the feeding device so that on withdrawing a chain not completely used, there is nothing to draw through the feedin device. An arrangement such as this allows of the chain being lengthened during firing, by simply coupling on more links, so that the automatic firing can continue without interru tion for as long as desired.

machine guns where the feeding device ejects the cartridge cases from the chain forwards, the rings ofthe chain links are made like forked s rings and when using flanged cartridges, t e rear ed es of the rings are made fimnel-shaped to a ow the flange of the cartridge to pass. k The chain links ma be made of wire, instead of tin-plate. Fig, 5 a cartridge chain is shown inwhich the links consist of pieces of wire a, the ends and middle parts of which are formed in helices b, b and c which have the same relative positions as the rings 7), b and c and hold the cartridges in the same manner. In Fig. 6 a. cartridge chain is shown, the links of which consist of two gieces of wire a jointed together at the mide, the ends of which are shaped to rings 1:, b and a, c, of which the rings 1) are shghtly farther apart than the rings 0 so that in forming a chain the rings 0 of one link pass between the. rings b of another link and the cartridge can then be passed through all four rings The r' s b and 0 could be similarly formed when t e links are made of one iece of wire only. All the various chain shown can of course 'be connected together by removable pins or the like, in which case each link is provided with one or more rings, clips etc. for holding the cartridges. The release of the connection is made on firing by a withdrawin or expelling mechanism attached to the fee ing device of the weapon which removes after ,the firing of each cartridge the corresponding connecting pin from its rings by pushing it out either orwards or backwards.

For flangled cartridges, which are ejected forwards, t e rings b and 0, when the link a is made of tinlate, as in Figs. 7 and 8, 9 and 10, have a ameter large enough to allow the cartridge flange to pass through. But in order to hold the cartridges, the rings are provided with a number of projecting springs, preferably 3, at equal distances from each other, which project so far into the ring as to touch the cartridge case as can be seen in Figs. 7 and 8. These springs are either, as in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, 10 formed of projecting strips k of the same material as the rings 11, c which strips remain attached to the ring at their rear, narrow ends which are turned towards the back end of the cartridge and are bent inwards, or they can be made of sep arate pieces of metal Z, which are riveted to the outer surface of the rin their ends which are turne towards the rear end of the cartridge a rounded rojection m extending through a, hole in t e ring and thereby holding the cartridge tight (Figs. 11 and 12), which form is of advantage in guns of large caliber for the lar er cartridges. These springsl Z are presse outwards by the flange of the cartridge pressing on the spring or the projection m as 1t is pressed forward by the feeding apparatus and so allows the cartrid e to pass.

If the lin s of a cartridge chain are made of wire, then the rings closing on the sides of the cartridges are split open and so given a spring and have rojections also, which are in contact with tl ie surface of the cartridges and so hold them in their laces, but whlch are pressed apart by the ange as the cartridge is pressed. forward, so that the wire ring is enlarged enough to allow the fla e to,

pass. These projections can have the orm of pieces n bounded by plane faces fixed on to the rings h, i of the link g, the surfaces turned towards the cartridge case being sloped upwards (Figs. 13, 14 and 15); or they can have the form of small balls 0 (Figs. 16 and 17) which are afiixed to the we rings and spaced a art like the pieces n. Chain links of tin-pi ate can be made by splittin the back half of the rings 6, c meant %or the forward removal of run car-. tridges. Between every two such slits p (Figs. 18-23) inwardly extending projections are laced to keep the cartridge 1n position. hese rojctions may be wedges g (Figs. 18 and 19 which are soldered to the inside of the slit part of the ring or fixed in any other suitable way; by bendm the back edge of each ring before rolling the atter and slitting these edges, inwardly projectmg laps 1' (Figs. 20 and 21) or angular mdentatlons s are formed in the slit edge (Figs. 22 and 23).

' Each link made of tin-bplate'can be provided with three rings 6, and 0 (Figs. 3, 7 and 11) or there need only be one rmgon each side b or c 9, 18, 20, 22). first case if the flanged cartridges are to be ejected forwards, the middle ring, in the second case the rear'ring, touches the-surface of the cartridge only lightly, wh le the Inthe annular hol the chain remains s ors ring rojections of the other oi' ri n gs gi ip the? cartridge tightly. In

manner the cartridges are held tightly and 'able.

For that kind 0 machine guns in which the cartrid es are pushed out from their is in a forward direction and viz., in such a manner that the breech action in moving forward engages a part of the bottom of the cartridge case that stands in its path and pushes the cartridge into the gun it is necessary to rovide the holding rings of each chain a, with a suitably wide gap extending from one end to the other or to substitute for the holding rings spring clamps t which latter are arranged at such a distance from each other that the engagement of the edge of the bottom of the cartridge case by the breech block is rendered possible, as shown in Figs. 24 to 27.

The forms of execution of cartridge feeding described are obviously suitable for those kinds of machine guns and the like in which the feeding or an that produces the successive motion 0 the cartridge chain c ages the chain at that part of the same whic has not run out yet. The described forms of execution can however not be employed in connection with the kind of machine guns, the feeding device of which is so arranged as to engage the cartri e chain du the forward movement of t e latter and t at part of this chain which has already run out and is emptied of the cartridges, because the rigid connection of the links that have run out with the remaining parts of the chain is dissolved b the pulling out of the cartridges from their olding clamps and the like. It is therefore necessary to arrange the cartrid e feeding device for the said kind of mac e guns in such a manner that the disconnection of the individual links of the chain from the remaining integral part of the chain should take lace during not in the very moment w en the cartridge is withdrawn from these holding devices but on] subsequently when the run out chain has completely left the guiding channel of the gun. For this puiipose the chain-links are provided with suita le connecting means such as hooks-or teeth and with corresponderforations or other suitable means whic are arranged in such a manner that the firm connection of the links with each other is established so 10 v as the latter arein the guiding channel an istherefore in an inflexible condition being inclosed within the channel; when the chain links have issued through the outlet opening of the uidin channel they become once again flexible an are at once disconnected.

In the form of execution shown in Figs. 28 to 31 the links a carrying the holding rings 1), b, c are provided with a tooth or lug a and with a perforation 'v, the latter being preferably made in a separate projecting arm w of the link a. When the links are put together the tooth of one link engages the perforation of the next link, whereby a rigid connection of the links is established so ion as the chain remains in a stretched and un exible condition. When therefore the gun is bein fired the separate links remain firmly united with the remainder of the chain after the carbility owingl to the shaking of t e chain dur I mg firing t e issuing links are disconnected and fall off from the remaining part of the chain.

I claim.

1. A cartrid e feeding device comprising a plurality of links having interfitting ends or the reception of a cartrid e which latter forms a pintle for the assem led links.

2. A cartridge feeding device comprising a plurality of carrier links having interfitting cartridge receiving members on their ends.

- 3. A cartridge feeding device comprising a plurality of carrier links having cartridge retaining sockets on their ends in diflerent-relative positions said links adapted to be connected by a cartridge in the sockets.

4. .A cartridge feeding device comprising a chain composed of links having resilient sockets on their'ends in different relative ppsitions said links adapted to be connected y a cartridge in the sockets.

5. A cartridge feeding device comprising a plurality of carrier links each having a socket on one end and a pair of co-axialsockets on the opposite end said links adapted to be connected by a cartrid e in the sockets.

In testimony whereo I have hereunto set, my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 

